June 17, 2010
COMMITTEE ON PATTERN JURY INSTRUCTIONS WINS NEW YORK
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION’S 2010 CITATION FOR SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN
PUBLIC SERVICE
ALBANY – The Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions of the
Association of Supreme Court Justices of the State of New York received
the New York State Bar Association’s 2010 Citation for Special
Achievement in Public Service for its extraordinary work in creating the
New York Pattern Jury Instructions – Civil edition. Sponsored by
the Committee on Attorneys in Public Service, the citation recognizes
the special achievements of public service attorneys in projects or
events that have had a significant positive impact on the community. The
award was given on June 16th at the State Bar Center in Albany.
Chaired for more than 30 years by Hon. Leon Lazer of Melville, the
Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions published the Third Edition of
its work in December 2009. The Third Edition, like its predecessors, is
considered the standard for charging juries in New York. It provides a
comprehensive yet comprehensible reference source on the general
principles governing civil trials and the law, touching on every aspect
of civil litigation where a jury could make the ultimate decision.
Committee members are all volunteers who developed more than 2,000 pages
of carefully researched charges and commentary on New York State
Law.
“There is not a trial lawyer or judge in New York who has not
benefitted from the work of the Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions.
Its distinguished members put in countless hours to produce the
Instructions. Their work gives all our courts access to a comprehensive
understanding of the current state of the law and helps ensure a fairer
and more consistent justice system,” said Hon. Peter S. Loomis of
Albany (New York State Department of Transportation), chair of the
Committee on Attorneys in Public Service. “Every jurist and
attorney in the civil trial system owes the Committee a tremendous debt
of gratitude. This Citation is long overdue and is an appropriate
recognition of the efforts of Judge Lazer and his colleagues.”
Lisa Burianek of Albany, deputy bureau chief of the Environmental
Protection Bureau in the New York State Department of Law and assistant
attorney general for the State of New York, also received a Citation for
her work protecting New York’s natural resources.
Last year’s inaugural winners were Amy Pitcairn Barasch of
Albany (executive director, New York State Office for the Prevention of
Domestic Violence) and Erin Noelle Guven of White Plains (Legal Services
of the Hudson Valley).
Founded in 1876, the 77,000 member New York State Bar Association is
the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the
largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State
Bar’s programs and activities have continuously served the public
and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.
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